The mall kept getting busier as the day went on in Dieppe, N.B. on Monday.
Shoppers had their last chance to secure those final purchases and holiday presents Christmas Eve, with stores set to close Christmas Day.
While you could feel stress in the air, some shoppers who spoke with Global News were prepared for the adventure.
“I had a gameplan, yeah,” said Mark Black. “Not all gameplans come together, but this one’s hopefully working out.
“Don’t jinx me.”
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“Every year — every year for the last eight years — I go to the mall on Christmas Eve,” says Tyler Jones. “It’s the perfect day to come.”
While some people stay away because they finished their shopping ahead of time, others enjoy the chaos — as long as they’re not involved.
“I’m out just to laugh at the people who have waited until the last minute,” said shopper Anthony Waddell.
But there were more than just shoppers out on Monday. Those hitting the mall also included holiday party-goers getting a haircut.
Luckily for The Headshoppe on Mountain Road in Moncton, they had an idea of what was to come.
“A lot of the stylists here start booking in September-October,” said salon owner Gail Osborne. “They start offering appointments to book their Christmas ones in advance.”
Osborne says the stylists have taken on many additional hours to keep up with the holiday rush.
So with 366 days remaining until December 25, 2019, it’s never too early to start shopping for next year.
But for some, coming out the day before is a tradition they’ll to stick to.
“There’s no one at the mall. You go earlier in the week, everyone’s here and it’s a zoo,” said Tyler Jones.
“If you leave it to today, you gotta get it done and there’s no options. There’s no going back, you just put your head down and go to it.”